New PSVR, Samsung Odyssey And Oculus Connect: The Five Biggest Stories In VR This Week

Missed out on all the week’s biggest VR news? Where have you been, Mars? Oh, actually I guess that’s quite possible. Well, either way, we’ve got you covered with our round up of the biggest stories in VR over the past five days.

On The Cusp Of The Next Big Thing

This week has seen some big announcements both from Microsoft and Google, and next week will see Facebook give the latest on all things VR at Oculus Connect. In other words, it’s a very exciting time for the VR industry. Just ahead of this weeks news, we talked a little about what we’re expecting from each company and how they’ll shape VR for the coming year. Make sure to stay with us all next week as we’re live from Connect.

VR Is Exactly Where It Needs To Be

Lots of people will tell you that VR is already underperforming, but this writer made the case against those sweeping statements this week with a look at why VR is exactly where it needs to be right now. Sure, headsets aren’t flying off of store shelves, but there’s a long way to go before this becomes a truly consumer-ready market. So have a little faith and a lot more patience; the good times are coming.

Samsung’s Windows VR Headset Revealed

With a deep partnership with Oculus on Gear VR and its own standalone headset in the works we didn’t expect to see another headset from Samsung any time soon. How wrong we were; the Samsung Odyssey is the premium entry into Microsoft’s new Windows 10 VR platform, beating out other entries from the likes of Acer, Dell and others with improved optics and integrated audio. It hits next month and we’re excited.

Sony’s Surprise New PSVR Model Announced

Sony quietly made the announcement that it was updating PlayStation VR a little this week. This isn’t a full-blown overhaul, rather a minor upgrade with some incremental tweaks like better earphone placement and HDR passthrough for supported TVs. It’s coming to Japan next week but we’re not yet sure then the US and EU will get their hands on it. The PlayStation Move controllers are getting a small upgrade too.

Turtle Rock Reveals A Gorgeous New VR RPG

Turtle Rock, makers of Left4Dead and Evolve, seem to get going all-in on VR. This week it revealed a gorgeous new RPG for Oculus and Samsung’s Gear VR, and we got a first look at it. Full gaming experiences come few and far between on mobile VR, but this looks like it goes above and beyond expectations with an amazing art style and gameplay inspired by classics like Dungeons and Dragons.